Microsoft Windows 11 Quietly Adds Internet Speedtest Option to Desktop
Consumers running an up-to-date version of Microsoft’s Windows 11 operating system (OS) may like to know that the software giant appears to have quietly added a new “Perform speed test” option to the Taskbar, which tests the performance of your broadband internet connection.
The new option, which was previously spotted in Windows Insider preview builds from last year and has now made its way into the wild via an optional update (KB5077241) for versions 24H2 and 25H2, typically appears when you right-click the Wi-Fi or Ethernet (network adapters) icon on the Taskbar (it’s also present in the Wi-Fi quick settings panel).
However, this isn’t a fully-fledged built-in test, since clicking the option will simply load Microsoft’s Edge browser (or whatever browser you have set as the default) and bring up a speedtest page on Bing’s website. The test itself appears to be fairly basic (only provides download, upload speed and latency performance) and is based off Ookla’s popular Speedtest.net technology.
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Right below the speed test window there’s also a selection of quick access tools you can click for a Stopwatch, QR Code Generator, Typing Test or Timer. Not that you’ll need them, but they’re there too.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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I’m breaking out the USB install stick, this will be the killer feature that brings me back from Debian after 15 years!
Microslop seems to be quietly adding lots of things to Windows that nobody asked for. It’s near impossible to avoid Windows altogether but having a dual boot setup with Linux Mint as my daily driver has much to recommend it.
How do you know that no-one asked for it?
For the most part I can do without Windows, I use a Mac mini for 99.99% of what I do, video editing a bit of photo editing, mucking around with 3D, but not very good that, and other stuff. The only thing I use my windows machine for these days is to play some games.
It is getting old, but I don’t want to pay the money to update it just for a few games.
MacOs, while it is not perfect, is far better than Windows, my only regret is that it took me so long to realise. The major problem with MacOs is that you have to buy the machine with it on, you can’t build your own machine, like you can with a PC.
Linux is great, I know a few people who have dropped Windows and do video editing, graphics 3D stuff, better than me and music, plus other stuff. The main problem with Linux is with the software, they are not as polished, but then most of them cost nothing or very little. If you can get past the older looking UI on most of them, then you can do wonders.
@Ad47uk Also wish I switched to Mac earlier, though the bar to entry has only dropped recently.
Believe Hackintosh is how people ran the OS on non-Apple hardware, though I don’t think thats feasible anymore
@Saf, Still pretty pricey to get into the Mac game compared to windows, not including the Nero, not sure what to think of that. My Mac mini cost £1097 in 2023, the most I have ever paid for a computer in one go. I suppose it is possible to pic up a basic Mac mini M4 now for around £600, which is not too bad.
I tried the Hackintosh, never got it to work, but then I always had AMD processors, not possible now. Saying that, maybe someone will come up with a way to get MacOs working on a Arm chip.
@Ad47uk Apple sell the base at £500 students or refurbished & could prob get it even cheaper on eBay, but I do agree Windows is more accessible (for now – who knows what’ll happen with this ram crisis)
I wouldn’t discount the Neo also, it doesn’t “destroy” the competition like the media suggests, but it is quite competent for a laptop with an iPhone chip.
@Ad47uk Alot of Linux desktops do look a bit dated but the Cinnamon desktop in Linux Mint looks very slick. IMHO it’s better than Windows 11.
@Saf, don’t get me wrong, the basic mini for what you get is still great value and for most people even those that does light video editing and other creation work will do fine. People used to use the M2 for stuff like that, so the M4 can certainly cope. For heavier video editing then need something a bit more powerful like the Mac studio.
I can still edit on my M2 pro, it may take a bit of time to render.
The Neo is a strange one, for basic stuff it is fine, there are people on You Tube that say it overheats, but maybe they push it more than it should be pushed.
@Big Dave, it is not so much the desktop looking dated, there are some nice ones out there and for me, I don’t mind a simple desktop. The problem is the software, a mate uses Scribus and a few other bits of software and they all look like something that was on windows 95/98. Even Libre writer, which I love, looks old.
I said to my mate it is a shame Affinity don’t produce their software for Linux, then he stared at me hard and said wash your mouth out. Open source only for him.
Wonder if this feature also applies to windows 11 IoT enterprise edition.
This has been rolling out for months now as part of a velocity staging key (enabling 57703775 with vivetool) and was added in build 26120.5770 from almost a year ago.
When I tested this, it did load the speedtest within Chrome.
So another stealth push people to edge mechanism, thank you for pointing this out.
More pushing Bing here, which is arguably worse
Microsoft should added speedtest.net as Openreach rejected Bing speedtest from Microsoft lol
With so many on the web, surprised MS didn’t buy on of them for themselves!
It doesn’t load Edge, only Bing’s search.
It’s not speed test it’s just stupid internet link